Hey Dylan! I just wanted to add something that helped me tremendously - create a backup funding plan for your apartment deposit that doesn't rely on your financial aid refund at all. I learned this lesson the hard way when my refund was delayed by almost a month due to a "verification hold" I didn't even know I had. Some ideas that worked for me and my friends: see if you can pick up some extra shifts at work, sell stuff you don't need anymore, or ask family if they can spot you the deposit money temporarily (with a specific payback date once your refund comes through). I also found out that some apartment complexes near campus offer payment plans for deposits if you explain you're waiting on financial aid - it never hurts to ask! The key is having that safety net so you're not stressed about making your deposit deadline while waiting for the school bureaucracy to sort itself out. Once you get through your first semester and understand your school's specific timeline, future semesters become much easier to plan for. You've got this! 💪

Wow, this thread has been incredibly helpful! As someone who's about to start my freshman year too, I had no idea about most of this stuff. The 30-day waiting period for first-time borrowers especially caught my attention - that could definitely mess up a lot of students' plans if they don't know about it. I'm curious though - for those of you who have been through this process, what's the earliest you've ever seen a refund actually hit your bank account? Like if classes start August 25th and loans disburse on August 15th, what's the fastest turnaround you've experienced from disbursement to having the refund money available to spend? Also, @Dylan, it sounds like you've got a great plan forming with all this advice! I'm definitely bookmarking this whole conversation for when I need to figure out my own financial aid timeline. Good luck with your apartment deposit situation!

Hi Chloe! I just completed my FAFSA application a few weeks ago and was in almost the exact same situation - my family receives Medicaid and my mom's income was around $28k last year. I was so confused about what the Medicaid checkbox actually meant too! Here's what I learned from going through the process: Yes, indicating Medicaid does help simplify things, but you'll definitely still need your mom's tax information. The good news is that with her income at $29k plus having Medicaid, you should qualify for both the Simplified Needs Test (which skips all those complicated asset questions) AND the Auto-Zero EFC calculation - which puts you in the best possible position for maximum financial aid! Make sure you have your mom's 2022 tax return ready since that's what the 2024-2025 FAFSA uses. Even though you'll skip the asset questions, I'd recommend having basic bank account info available just in case there are any system glitches. I ended up qualifying for the full Pell Grant with my similar situation, so you should be in great shape! The FAFSA will actually show you on screen when sections are being skipped due to your qualifications, which was really reassuring to see. One last tip: gather all your documents before you start and save your progress frequently - the website can be a bit slow. You're being really smart by asking these questions ahead of time. With your family's financial situation, you're positioned perfectly for excellent aid. Good luck!

Hi Chloe! I'm also a first-time FAFSA applicant and was literally wondering about this exact same thing with the Medicaid checkbox! Reading through all these responses has been SO helpful - it sounds like you're in an amazing position for financial aid with your mom's income at $29k and having Medicaid. From what everyone's shared, you should definitely qualify for both the Simplified Needs Test (skipping asset questions) and likely the Auto-Zero EFC calculation, which means maximum Pell Grant eligibility. That's incredible! I love how this community has broken down the real process versus what we initially thought would happen. I was honestly pretty intimidated by the whole FAFSA thing, but seeing all these success stories from people in similar situations has made me feel so much more confident about my own application. Thanks for asking this question - it's helped me understand what to expect too! Make sure to have that 2022 tax return ready, and good luck with your application. Sounds like you're going to get excellent aid!

I'm a college junior and this EXACT same thing happened to me both freshman and sophomore year! It's seriously one of the most stressful parts of the financial aid process because nobody warns you about it. The "loan origination" step that everyone's mentioning is spot on - that's the missing piece that schools never explain upfront. What I've learned after going through this multiple times: when you call the financial aid office, ask them three specific questions: 1) "Has loan origination been completed for my daughter?" 2) "What's your typical timeline from origination to funds appearing on studentaid.gov?" and 3) "Can you place a tuition payment hold while we wait for loan processing?" Also, pro tip from my experience - if you can't get through to your school's financial aid office, try calling right at 8am when they open or during their lunch hour when there might be less call volume. Sometimes different staff members are more helpful than others, so don't be afraid to call back if the first person isn't giving you clear answers. The good news is that once you go through this process once, you'll know exactly what to expect in future years. It's frustrating that the system is so confusing, but you're definitely not alone in this experience!

As someone new to navigating the financial aid system with my first child heading to college, this entire thread has been absolutely invaluable! I had no idea there were so many hidden steps between accepting loans and actually receiving them. The "loan origination" process that everyone keeps mentioning isn't explained anywhere in the materials our school sent us - it's like there's this whole secret language and process that you're just supposed to magically know about. I'm bookmarking this conversation because the advice here is so much clearer than anything I've gotten from official sources. The specific questions to ask the financial aid office, the terminology to use, the timing tips - this is the kind of practical information that should be included in every financial aid package! It's ridiculous that families have to learn these crucial processes through forums like this instead of getting clear guidance upfront. Thank you to everyone who shared their experiences and solutions. Even though I haven't gone through this yet, I already feel so much more prepared for when it inevitably happens to us. This community is amazing for helping each other navigate these unnecessarily confusing systems!

As a parent who went through this exact situation with twins last year, I can't stress enough how much early FAFSA submission helped us! We submitted on October 1st and I'm convinced it made a real difference in our aid packages. Here's what I learned that might help you: the timing matters MORE for institutional aid than federal aid, but the key is that schools often bundle everything together in their initial offer letters. When we submitted early, both twins got better grant-to-loan ratios in their packages compared to friends who applied later at the same schools. For your twins with different GPAs (3.7 vs 4.1), the merit differences will likely be substantial regardless of timing - we saw about a $5K per year difference between our twins. But the need-based institutional grants were similar for both when we applied early. My biggest recommendation: create a master calendar with EVERY deadline for BOTH kids - FAFSA priority dates, CSS Profile deadlines, individual scholarship applications, and school-specific forms. With twins, it's so easy to miss something important. Also, definitely file your 2023 taxes as early as possible so you can use the IRS Data Retrieval Tool right when FAFSA opens. The early submission strategy worked so well for us that I'm already planning to help my younger daughter apply on October 1st when her time comes!

As a parent who just finished this process with my son last year, I want to emphasize something that really helped us - don't just focus on the FAFSA timing, but also pay attention to state aid deadlines! Many states have their own priority deadlines for state grants that can be even earlier than college deadlines. For example, in our state, the priority deadline for state grants was February 1st, but some of the colleges my son applied to had March deadlines. We almost missed out on $2,000 per year in state aid because we were so focused on the federal and institutional deadlines. Also, with twins, definitely check if your state offers any special programs or additional aid for multiple kids in college simultaneously. Some states have provisions that can increase your aid when you have multiple children enrolled at the same time. I'd recommend making a three-column spreadsheet: federal deadlines, state deadlines, and individual school deadlines. This saved us from missing any opportunities and might be especially helpful when you're managing applications for two kids at once!

As a newcomer to this community, I'm so glad I found this thread! I'm currently in the same stressful situation - submitted my FAFSA about 3 weeks ago and have been accepted to 6 schools, but I've only received one financial aid package so far. The May 1st deadline is starting to feel very real and intimidating. Reading through all these responses has been incredibly eye-opening. I had no idea I needed to be so proactive about following up with schools, or that some don't automatically notify you when packages are ready. I've been passively waiting for emails that clearly aren't coming! The tips about checking spam folders multiple times a day, verifying FAFSA transmission on studentaid.gov, and systematically going through each school's portal for missing documents are exactly what I needed to hear. I'm definitely going to start making calls this week, armed with specific questions and calling right when offices open to avoid those horrible hold times. The advice about creating a tracking spreadsheet to stay organized is brilliant too - I've been trying to keep everything straight in my head and it's becoming overwhelming. It's both frustrating and reassuring to know that this level of confusion and stress seems to be completely normal. Thanks to everyone for sharing such detailed experiences and practical advice - this community is invaluable for navigating what feels like an unnecessarily complicated system!

As a newcomer to this community, I'm incredibly grateful to have found this thread! I'm experiencing the exact same situation right now - submitted my FAFSA about 5 weeks ago and have been accepted to 7 schools, but I've only received 2 financial aid packages so far. The May 1st deadline has been causing me serious anxiety, especially since I need to compare all my options before making such an important decision. Reading through everyone's experiences has been both enlightening and reassuring. I had no idea that the timeline could vary so drastically between institutions, or that some schools don't automatically notify you when packages are ready. I've been religiously checking my email multiple times a day thinking I missed something or did something wrong in my application process. The practical advice shared here is invaluable - checking spam folders regularly, verifying FAFSA transmission on studentaid.gov, systematically reviewing each school's portal for missing documents, and being proactive with phone calls rather than waiting passively. I'm definitely going to implement all of these strategies starting tomorrow morning, including that brilliant tip about calling right when offices open to avoid lengthy hold times. The information about requesting deadline extensions and the appeals process is also incredibly helpful - I had no idea these options even existed! It's both frustrating and comforting to know that this level of stress and confusion seems to be completely universal in this process. Thanks to everyone for creating such a supportive space and sharing your detailed experiences navigating this complicated system!